Top management in any company call themselves leaders and so does politicians. In both cases, they are managing people, making decisions on behalf of their people and making or breaking whatever unit they head.

Does heading a flock of people mean leadership?

Does getting appointed as Director or Sr. Manager mean leadership?

Well how our political leaders and senior management at Corporates are appointed is not hidden by any of us. Money, educational certificates, favouritism and power plays a great deal in selection criteria. Then are they actually leaders? How many times you (the reader) have asked this question to yourself or are you a blind person with eyesight who doesn’t see one’s surrounding or maybe you are still ignorant of the word LEADERSHIP?

No, you definitely know the simple English meaning of LEADERSHIP i.e.

The action of leading a group of people or an organisation, or the ability to do this

The state or position of being a leader

The leaders of an organisation, country and so on

But who are actual leaders?

Here is my take on leadership:

I believe that leadership is a combination of skill sets that are innate. We cannot create leaders or leaders are not build. A person becomes a leader naturally when people start to follow him/her and his/her ideologies. In that case, anybody cannot become a leader and everybody is not a leader.

Let’s take an example from a small group of people in a family to understand leadership better. If you observe closely, you will see that one person (man/woman) in a family is taking a natural lead by doing strategic planning for the family, advising and helping making decisions or taking decisions, calculating risks and so on. The other one is following and so are the rest of the family members. In such cases, no one has appointed a leader in a family but that one person has emerged as a leader naturally due to his/her inherent leadership abilities.

I believe that followers play a key role in a leadership journey. Every leader will be a follower from where he/she will draw their ideologies, inspirations or vision. It could be anyone, a spiritual guru, parent, grandparent, neighbour and so on. Followers are the reflection of their leader just like children are the reflection of their parents. Looking at followers, one can judge how the leader would be.

Our known great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa were natural leaders. No one appointed them as leaders. Their skills, ideologies and vision inspired people who became their followers and worked towards the vision of their leader. Such followership brings brotherhood and gives birth to another leader who would carry forward the legacy in a much evolved way.

So do we have leaders at organisation level or at political level?

No, we don’t have any leaders at organisation level. They are certainly growth drivers but do they have followers? I doubt. They are only managers who are performing their tasks allocated to them, who are delegating their task to meet their target goal and if the goals are not met, they take tough decisions at times towards their colleagues/subordinates as a punishment. If the goals are met, they will give material reward to their colleagues/subordinates demanding more out of them.

And about our political leaders (Current situation), I really don’t have to write about their leadership skills because it does not exist. Gone are the days when there were political leaders who not only changed the course of country’s economy but also made a place in their people’s heart forever. Fidel Castro is a great example for that kind of leadership who emerged as a great political leader not only in Cuba but worldwide.

What I am writing here is totally my observation and opinion.You may choose to disagree.

We often hear sad stories of old people who are either abandoned by their children or have other emotional sufferings.

Well based on my observation in my own family, my parents and rest of my paternal uncles and aunts are fortunate to have children like us.They live with us and we have sacrificed a lot for them. We belong to 70’s and early 80’s genre and I am proud of my generation and my paternal cousins.

However, everyone in my family are not like my paternal cousins. In my maternal side, there are quite a lot of cases where my cousins do not bother about their old parents at all.

Then I thought why such gap in the same family i.e. mother’s side and father’s side? Is it genetic? No, it can’t be.. Then what?

Here are a few points that could make difference:

Upbringing by a set of parents where they are not emotionally rather obsessively attached to their children

Upbringing by a set of parents where they gave enough room to their children and became friends after a certain age

Upbringing by a set of parents where they live their own life at fullest teaching their children how to live a wonderful life while keeping an eye on them secretly

A set of parents who do not think that their children are a jack pot for their old age and it is their children’s duty to look after them

Curse:

I would like to ask a question to such old people, who are victim of loneliness or other circumstance and blame their children for it.

Q. Have they looked after their old parents during their youth? How much time have they spent with them? What financial aid did they offer to their parents?

Spiritually, it’s a life of karmas. You will get what you have sowed towards the last days of your life. Hell and heaven are here, in this life. Choice is ours.

I have also noticed that old people without their companion, are always emotionally deprived even if they live with their children. There are obvious reasons for it like generation gap, fast life, different lifestyle, extended family with a new family member and so on.

What I believe is that in an old age, we deeply need a companion who would communicate, understand and would give emotional support. In most of the cases, children could not satisfy all of such needs.

Boon:

Thus, I think rather staying with children, who are busy earning their lively hood, old people can choose to stay either in a commune with people of same age group or should go to old age home. There they can make friends and can enjoy life in those last years by travelling in a group, doing other activities together, taking care of each other and so on. Those singles, can also look out for their companions and lead an emotionally satisfied life. Because it is all about emotions and not sex at that age.

They can visit their children on vacations and return to their abode with dignity.

Moreover, there is nothing called retirement. Till the time brain is functional, there should not be any retirement. An old man is loaded with wisdom and experience of a life time. They can certainly give back to the society at that age by any means. Those who are financially deprived can certainly earn by being a teacher.

And think, a combination of crèche or day care and an old age home together will be man-made medium of bringing new and old generation together. Perhaps the youth who is a parent and also is a child, doesn’t have time for both in this 21st century.

Are you aware about your neighborhood, your city, your country, your continent and your Earth? No..don’t leave this page just like that in case you are…because you have been online since morning perhaps!

Have you ever calculated how much time do you spend online in a day by any means like either your phone or computer? And how much information are you gathering in a day??? Is your brain able to process all? Not mine! Perhaps because I am 35-year-old…

So let’s make a list of what is trending in the 21st century as per my knowledge (you can add more after all it will boost your blog too :p)

Social media which I think has made people unsocial in real life but has definitely boosted marketing and branding strategyNote: It has also increased crime, especially towards female

English language which I think is becoming a common language across the globe after globalisation. This is the need for time. Even countries like Japan, that never entertained anything foreign, has not only opened its door for foreigners but have also given a respectable place to the language. Hence, it could be a language that might result in convergence of all culture in due course. Well on the other hand, English as a global language is also resulting in language imperialism (term coined by my in line with colonisation). It is more of corporate now than of a country. For example in India, parents would teach English to their child than their mother tongue. Spoken and written English has become a mandate in most of the families else they would be left out in the race.

Power and Money which I think is dancing on most of the people’s head. Of course capitalism will fail without that. 21st century is all about making as much money as possible and showing its power to others. Isn’t there is a visible race of becoming richest in country and in the world. Thanks to the mortgage culture, a chick is able to buy an expensive car and a villa while he/she has learnt just to spread wings. And the mortgage package gives them stress and liability as a free gift.The easy calculation they have in finger tips is – I am paying the amount that I had to use for rent as my EMI. But have they calculated how much extra they are paying for their asset? Anyway that’s a personal choice. But on hind side, the person who has taken a loan has become an invisible bonded labour. Note Power and money has also given the rich full right to commit a crime and walk out free.

Hatred and change in human behaviour which I think has grown over the years. Yes there is a reason behind it. Our current lifestyle could be a reason. Stress is so high. To release stress, people have become dependent on various things like drugs and so on .And when the stress is at peak, it shows through their insane behaviour. Do you agree that these killings, rapes could be the outcome of hatred?

Missing wisdom, compassion and humanity I really don’t see any of these around me. Also people have become very insensitive towrds other living being. And it hurts. #panch

Do you recall any moment when you behaved like a human? Yes, we are human and we always behave like one!!! Oh! is that true?? (this is an open ended question and I leave it to you.)

Yesterday, I met an architect in India, who refused to participate the bandwagon of star architects, designing concrete and commercial projects for certain section of population.

This lady, Neelam Manjunath, an owner of Mansaram Architects, has been working on sustainable architecture in India, which is not only affordable to Indian mass but is also eco-friendly . Her designs consists of only “bamboos, stones and mud”. Yes, these are the traditional methods of Indian architecture. Unfortunately, concrete and cement has replaced them in urban India, resulting global warming and un-affordable pricing of houses .

No, this blog is not about her promotion but the promotion of her thoughts, her values and inspiration towards our environment and society. This blog is about a desire or mission, to serve people in a simplest form and make living affordable and desirable for the last person in Indian village.

I met this lady yesterday and was happy to acknowledge her philosophy of enhancing the traditional Indian architecture to the next level which is modern and affordable.

How many of us, urban people, will ever think of making our office or house with bamboo? But she did it and according to her, the costing of building material was 30% less than what it takes for a concrete building. Even her house is made up of only mud, stone and bamboo.

Due to her effort, many bamboo artisans in India got job. She has trained many villagers to build a mansion out of bamboo. A few have already converted their basic bamboo hut into a beautiful bamboo house with the modern technique in their village and possibly are training others too.

Well, these are a few excerpts that I have shared here from her journey of introducing the sustainable building and homes.

Why Neelam Manjunath inspired me?

Whenever, I looked at Indian history and the forts or monuments , I always wondered what powerful and scientific our ancient architecture was. And then when I looked at what we have now, saddened me.

Those were the days when there were no fans, yet the breeze inside the building was cool and fresh. You can experience this in Rajasthan. And there is Ajanta and Elora caves, temples in Hampi that had musical pillars. There are actually many examples of excellent architecture that should inspire our architects.

Let’s not go that far, we can take examples of our traditional and regional dwellings. If you go to Indian villages, you will see that every region has different architecture that suits the geography of that region. For example, in north-east, you will see houses made up of wood,

So, in this blog, I introduced an architect, who could have earned in millions through her profession (her architect friends are already doing it) but she is fighting hard to get projects and grants from Indian government to execute such projects because of some obvious reasons that is not required to be written here.

You are an animal, a social animal, a very recent specie. You were born with wisdom, which has evaporated with your daily battles for livelihood or may have rotten after not being used…at all.

How can you say that I don’t have wisdom at all? I am intelligent, a graduate and a super achiever!

Wisdom has nothing to do with intelligence. It is applying your knowledge for good and bad. It has nothing to do with education because it is a basic instinct.

Had you have wisdom, you would not have fought with your partner, you would not have cribbed over and over for what you don’t have, you would have known how much is enough for mankind for a comfortable life and would have saved us all by saving the EARTH, you would not have become a puppet for capitalists, opportunists and politicians, you could have stopped a life being hungry day-and-night and….

You can fill these dots only if you have wisdom…left in you….

Yes, I accept I don’t have wisdom. How can I get wisdom?

Just think, what is good and what is bad, for you and for all. Don’t give up on anything, strive hard to be victorious by learning what is good and what is bad and by changing yourself because you control your environment.

Being an Indian, at times it is difficult to recognise oneself as an Indian. Because the country has 29 states and 7 union territories. Each of these states have different culture, language and cuisine. Not only that, apparently, there is a physical difference among people as well.

For example (based on my observation), people in the North-East India have South Asian or to be precise, Mangolian features. Genetically, they have milky while flawless skin and naturally golden-brown coloured straight silky hair. They are short in height with slim built, have round face with small deep eyes, lips like a thin-line and flat-bunny nose. They are very agile and calm by nature. However, they might become brutally or nastily aggressive (if needed). The society in North-Eastern states follow the matriarchal practice and because these states host several tribes, they are very close to the nature and believe in protecting it.

People in the North and West India have sharp features similar to the people in the middle-east countries. They are tall, slim, fair with sharp nose, medium sized lips and big dark brown eyes. They have oval face with long straight and dark hair. The foods are also very similar to that of middle-eastern countries. Unfortunately, these part of India has always been a victim of invasion since ages. I assume, genetically that makes the people of Northern and Western states (Excluding Himalayan) aggressive and at times violent. The people in those states follow patriarchal practice.Therefore, in general, women are not highly or rather moderately respected.

Whereas, South India is known to host the original Indians, the Dravidians. They look completely different from rest of the Indians with dark complexion, stout figure, dark and curly hair, big doe shaped eyes with thick eye leashes and big-pouted lips. Their cuisine is also very different from rest of the India with rice being the king and queen of all.

And most importantly, people in these diverse states are a mix of all religion.

Thus, such diversity gives enough room for racism which is practiced in all part of the country in the name of state, physical appearance, foods and culture. A Delhiet will call people from North-Eastern states “Chinky” because of their looks and a South India “Tambi” because they think all South Indians are Madrasis. An Assamese or Bengali will call people from North India as “Hindustani” because they speak Hindi, are little dirty and don’t have any language of their own and also lack intellect. Marathi’s think they are next to Shivaji and are great. Kanadigas will blame other Indian citizens for spoiling Bangalore “You North Indian have spoilt Bangalore. Go back from where you came.’ is a common sentence whenever the topic of bad infrastructure of Bangalore is brought for discussion. Also generally, they think people outside Southern states are from North India. They have no concept of East, West or Central India.

In the last decade, India has seen quite a few murders in the name of racism. When the citizens of India protested, there were several people to en-cash the incident. They were the political leaders who jumped in the soup, earned name and vote bank and left the racist situation to prevail for future benefits.

It is also understood that such cultural and religious diversity gives us enough room for free expression and free practice of religion which is our constitutional right. Is there anything greater than a constitution of a country??

Yes, political propaganda! Now a days, a few political parties do not abide by the constitution at all. It is seen that they will create their own propaganda and if a citizen do not abide by it or conduct an open protest, they will declare that person as anti-nationalist or terrorist.

Recently, our universities students are been victimised in the name of anti-nationalist. What is being a nationalist if they can answer?

Is it following what they say blindly?

Is it voting for hooligans?

Is it not fighting for one’s own right?

Is it not protesting against any odd or crime?

And it is a duty of the government to protect a citizen. But how safe is a citizen if he\she reminds the duty of a government?.

Is there job only to beg before citizens before election, make fake promises, come to the power for the first five years and fill own pockets as much as possible because of uncertainty in the future?

And if a citizen raises voice against them, he/she will be charged with a tag of terrorist, maoist or anti-nationalist.

If this is a democracy then…. what will be the cost of a citizen’s view point?

Unlike other countries, most of the people in urban India, especially in metros such as Delhi or Bangalore, are very engrossed in “I” factor. They not only overlook their human neighbours but also other species in their ecosystem such as stray dogs, cats and birds.

Thirsty dogs running from this corner to that corner of a street in search of water is a normal scene. A few are lucky to quench their thirst from dirty drain water. I wonder how it would taste? And where will they find an open drain in such big cities! Isn’t water a basic need of living being or only human have right for it?

But look who is writing about it?

Despite of observing what they are deprived of, what have I done to resolve their issue? Yes, I have done nothing other than showing sympathy. No, that’s not true. I do feed some of the dogs near my office, here and there whenever possible. But what about water?

I assume, if I keep water in a bucket or any vessel on street, someone will definitely steal it.Yes, in India, there is a high possibility of such theft. However, I have seen shopkeeper in Delhi, storing water in a tumbler outside their shop for stray cows and dogs. Some of them even feed them thinking that it is good karma and will earn them good fortune in return.

But I used to keep water in a bowl for pigeons at my verandah that also hosted small and lovely green garden. And I served them variety of breakfast everyday. I noticed that they don’t have any etiquette of eating food. Bunch of pigeons would pounce on each other to get a grip of grain in their beak and lynching tiny saplings under their claws. Those were the sapling that I had nurtured, sang songs to and have spoken to them. Those bunch of hooligan pigeons, made a grave of my beautiful little saplings. Shall I give them food then? Thus, it became a fight of self defense. It is an animal instinct of saving one’s house.And I am an animal too.